[fiatmidway124]

Forgot to add. I’m totally against it…unless it’s my house.

God bless America

 

[124Scottish Abarth]

Electric cars are simply superior in nearly all respects. Yes, including taking road trips where there is no way I’’m taking the 124 on a road trip. 350 mile range and superchargers and charging at hotels and the comfort of an EV makes road trips far more pleasant, and cheaper, and less tiring, in my Tesla.

Unfortunately I disagree strongly as the infrastructure in the UK is appalling for EV's. This is why people suffer from stress and anxiety when taking trips. They have to plan around charging points and then usually hours of waiting to get the use of a charger. Superchargers? Not likely because only a few cars can use the very fast chargers so they are all low outputs at charging stations in the UK. So, maybe Stateside it's all great, but not so over here.

 

[Destination Loco]

going to the smelly gas station,

Ahhhh, 'tis perfume

 

[chnycs]

Unfortunately I disagree strongly as the infrastructure in the UK is appalling for EV's.

This feels like a bit of a generalization. Regardless, things are charging ahead, charging ahead I say.... https://www.theguardian.com/environ...ticle/2024/may/05/uk-installs-record-number-of-public-electric-vehicle-chargers

 

[fszmark]

Unfortunately I disagree strongly as the infrastructure in the UK is appalling for EV's. This is why people suffer from stress and anxiety when taking trips. They have to plan around charging points and then usually hours of waiting to get the use of a charger. Superchargers? Not likely because only a few cars can use the very fast chargers so they are all low outputs at charging stations in the UK. So, maybe Stateside it's all great, but not so over here.

These UK Tesla owners have no stress or anxiety road tripping in the UK. https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/road-trip-scotland-to-england.305516/

For now, and for a while, anyone intending to road trip their EV very much should probably insure that it can use the Tesla Supercharger network. In the US that will be open to most other new non-Tesla EVs. not sure about other countries.

 

[124Scottish Abarth]

This feels like a bit of a generalization. Regardless, things are charging ahead, charging ahead I say.... https://www.theguardian.com/environ...ticle/2024/may/05/uk-installs-record-number-of-public-electric-vehicle-chargers

These UK Tesla owners have no stress or anxiety road tripping in the UK. https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/road-trip-scotland-to-england.305516/

For now, and for a while, anyone intending to road trip their EV very much should probably insure that it can use the Tesla Supercharger network. In the US that will be open to most other new non-Tesla EVs. not sure about other countries.

Sorry to say that neither of you live here. If you did you'd know that the UK is far behind it's schedule for charger installations which of course the newspaper article doesn't tell you. You'd also know that there have been instances of 6 hour waits with queues of 22 Tesla's in one instance all waiting for a charger, so quoting a handful of people from a forum hardly equates to anything valid as far as what we see regularly in the news and various publications here. Record numbers of people are trading in their EV's to go back to ICE. Many disabled people are dumping EV's cos' those in wheelchairs cannot access most of the chargers due to kerbs and steps being placed in front of them or the charge cables being too high to reach from a wheelchair. Yup, they forgot about access when designing them. I'm not here to argue, but I do live here and see the mess they have made of it.

 

[chnycs]

Sorry to say that neither of you live here. If you did you'd know that the UK is far behind it's schedule for charger installations which of course the newspaper article doesn't tell you. You'd also know that there have been instances of 6 hour waits with queues of 22 Tesla's in one instance all waiting for a charger, so quoting a handful of people from a forum hardly equates to anything valid as far as what we see regularly in the news and various publications here. Record numbers of people are trading in their EV's to go back to ICE. Many disabled people are dumping EV's cos' those in wheelchairs cannot access most of the chargers due to kerbs and steps being placed in front of them or the charge cables being too high to reach from a wheelchair. Yup, they forgot about access when designing them. I'm not here to argue, but I do live here and see the mess they have made of it.

Just throwing out there that what you are seeing is a media portrayal and may not be the day-to-day reality of EV ownership. There are challenges here, too. And? Just because there are challenges doesn't mean a thing isn't worth doing. And the challenges you're talking about sound somewhat anecdotal and not like, say, the actual facts that I presented in my linked article. I've owned EVs for well over a decade. I know there are issues and they require planning. The infrastructure here is lacking, too. And? That doesn't mean that EVs aren't a great option. And you and your ICE car are killing everyone on the entire planet. Hi. That's my hyperbole of the moment. You will find, however, that it's actually factual. Want me to link science to that one, too?

 

[Spider Fan Buffalo]

Deleted.

 

[Nordamericano]

Electric cars are simply superior in nearly all respects. Yes, including taking road trips where there is no way I’’m taking the 124 on a road trip. 350 mile range and superchargers and charging at hotels

The past two summers I've taken two road trips both of which included traveling through multiple states and covering several thousands of miles during several days during each trip. At no point during either of those road trips did I encounter a single, not one charging station. None of the the hotels or motels, and yes the bulk were all major national chain or affiliated facilities, I stayed at had a charging station on property. Not once did I see a sign directing me to, if I had been interested in such, to a charging station. Not once during any of the times I was in any facility, be it public sponsored or private did I see or encounter even one notice or brochure promoting or giving directions to any charging stations. Granted, I wasn't specifically looking for such, but one would think that if EVs are being promoted for travel and it is being suggested that people venture forth into the hinter land, flyover country as it were, charging stations would be available and their locations would be something that some might want to feature as plus for any given locale.

If an EV works for you and yours for road trips, I say good on you! You're doing exactly what you want to do and the thing that makes you happy. Myself, I'll continue to do what makes me happy, take my road trips using an ICE vehicle, my Abarth. This way when I'm driving down a lonely stretch of two lane like New Mexico 371 between Farmington and Thoreau and haven't seen anyone else in either direction for the past 50+ minutes I can be pretty sure there's gonna be a gas station at the end of the journey. I like planning my road trips, if I actually plan them, around where I want to go/what I want see/the people I might want to visit and right now that would seen to be much easier to do with an ICE vehicle than with an EV.

 

[chnycs]

At no point during either of those road trips did I encounter a single, not one charging station. None of the the hotels or motels, and yes the bulk were all major national chain or affiliated facilities,

You weren’t looking for the stations or planning your trip that way. There were fast charging stations where I just was - around the back of the hotels. Not somewhere I’d typically park. There are no signs - why would you expect signs? I had a friend drive across the country - right through the wastes of the lower dry country where there aren’t even gas stations. He made it just fine. You don’t have a charger station app. He does. We do. They work ok. It takes a little more planning. Gasp.

 

[Arthur]

As some of you may know, I make multiple trips each year from the UK to mainland Europe. These road trips tend to be between 10 to 14 days, covering between 2,000 and 3,000 miles. I stay at the hotels I choose to stay at for my own reasons.

Almost, if not all, the hotels do not have electric charge points..... I don't mind as I drive a non-electric car. So for me it's not a problem.

If they do have charge points they are more often than not either being used, "out of use", or extortionatelly expensive. And I value whatever little time I have left on this earth.

So for me, EV is a non-starter...... metaphorically, figuratively, practically.

My parents truly believed that, during the Cold War, we were all going to be blown to smithereens. It didn't happen.

My siblings and peers mistakenly believe that, through Climate Change, the End of the World is Nigh..... it isn't.

 

[chnycs]

Almost, if not all, the hotels do not have electric charge points..... I don't mind as I drive a non-electric car. So for me it's not a problem.

For ev driving you plan. Gasp. Dude… AFAICT you actually don’t know anything about driving an EV and you’re trying to apply what you think you’ve seen to driving one. Well, uh. I believe you may have misunderstood how it actually works.

 

[Arthur]

For ev driving you plan. Gasp. Dude… AFAICT you actually don’t know anything about driving an EV and you’re trying to apply what you think you’ve seen to driving one. Well, uh. I believe you may have misunderstood how it actually works.

Probably. But I'm happy. Planned all my life. I don't plan anymore. I go with the flow. Money is not an issue. Family are sorted. Yes, I know nothing about driving an EV.

I like changing gear. And the smell of petrol. And the sound.

This is your planet now, not mine.
Look after it.

But allow me a few more years of my pleasure. I've paid my dues. The rest is up to you.

 

[Nordamericano]

You weren’t looking for the stations or planning your trip that way. There were fast charging stations where I just was - around the back of the hotels. Not somewhere I’d typically park. There are no signs - why would you expect signs? I had a friend drive across the country - right through the wastes of the lower dry country where there aren’t even gas stations. He made it just fine. You don’t have a charger station app. He does. We do. They work ok. It takes a little more planning. Gasp.

A) I drove completely around several of the properties, both trips - no/zero/nada charging stations. And yes, I would think if these facilities, these properties are attempting to cater to the EV crowd the would put up a sign or two. Hell, they're not bashful about proclaiming their world class "FREE" breakfasts or their "Free" Wi-Fi".
B) And that's thing, neither I nor anyone else really needs a gas station app to find a gas station. There's one in pretty much in every four corner burg in the country with a population of over 12 or people.
C) As mentioned " I like planning my road trips, if I actually plan them, around where I want to go/what I want see/the people I might want to visit" I really have nor do I desire to plan my trip(s) around or using an app that will guide me to the nearest required charging station (that hopefully is functional and/or doesn't have 2 or 3 EVs already in queue ahead of me).

 

[Nordamericano]

For ev driving you plan. Gasp. Dude… AFAICT you actually don’t know anything about driving an EV

You must have missed this part of my posted comment ........ "if I actually plan them".

I'm guessing you never were part of or had a group of friends where some fool would actually scream "ROAD TRIP" and everyone would pile in a vehicle and head for a destination on a whim and often that destination was unknown and oft times available funding was tallied once the trip was underway.

I also know nothing about driving an EV and hope to leave it that way.

 

[TeddyK]

As expected this thread is turning it into debate over reality itself.

EVs are neither going to save or abolish humanity. Climate change just might though.

In 2019 - 2021 I made about six trips back and forth from Montréal to Chicago, in our 2019 Tesla Long Range, and I think it was an extra hour for charging out of 23 hours. No deviations or forced stops or inconveniences. My schedule was usually four to six hours drive, stop to pee or eat, and repeat. That was five years ago through combinations of NY Ohio and Indiana, and Michigan and Ontario. Things have gotten better since then.

Sorry to hear that the infra in the UK is so poor. We rented a Model Y and drove around France a couple of years ago with zero issues, is all I know.

 

[chnycs]

We rented a Model Y and drove around France a couple of years ago with zero issues, is all I know.

But, gasp! How did you not die? How did you not run out of electricity in the middle of nowhere? It's not even possible - I drove around every hotel on your route and didn't see a charger (although I wasn't actually looking for chargers).

Right. As you said, it's a debate over reality itself. Those who haven't had the experience... Well, they don't seem to know what is going on around them, I guess. I was trying to say that in a nicer way but, well... Give me a break! And somehow climate change isn't real, either. Arthur did say it best and most honestly there... It's our problem to deal with.

 

[fszmark]

Sorry to say that neither of you live here.

. . . Record numbers of people are trading in their EV's to go back to ICE.

LOL. I don’t live in the UK (anymore) and the picture you paint is what people who learn about EVs get from reading newspapers and not communicating with actual owners first hand.

This way when I'm driving down a lonely stretch of two lane like New Mexico 371 between Farmington and Thoreau

LOL. Farmington has a Supercharger and Thoreau has a Supercharger in nearby Grants. Check out https://www.tesla.com/trips.

some people thought elevators and indoor plumbing and satellite internet were bad ideas. Shrug. It’s amusing to watch.

enjoy https://www.carwow.co.uk/mg/news/6825/new-mg-cyberster-price-specs

 

[fiatmidway124]

I like to look at issues, not as black or white, but rather as shades of grey.

Is driving an ice car going to kill the planet? No.

Is driving an ev going to cure the planet? No.

Will you be able to drive an ice car 20 to 30 years from now? Yes

Does a slowly broadening reach of evs reduce greenhouse gases and create energy independence? Yes.

United we stand, divided we fall. There’s plenty of room for everyone‘s opinion. Trust me. Plenty of room.

 

[124Scottish Abarth]

No point replying to people individually on this, but I am going to reiterate again..........

If you don't live in the UK you can't know the EV issues we have here. I have seen documentaries with people interviewed, able bodied and disabled, and the consensus is always that they like EV's, but can't live with the anxiety of having to plan trips around charging stations which will likely not be on their route, already backed up with people waiting to use them, inaccessible to disabled people,or just plain non-existent. People worry about running out of charge and getting stuck with their kids. It's not just the narrative the news channels want to feed us, which by the way I could thro right back at you with the "positive" comments because we all get our information from somewhere. These are facts, no matter how much you want to tell us you know the science.

Comments about charging stations not being advertised and why should they need to be are ridiculous. Like you're going to drive around aimlessly wasting what precious charge you have looking for non-advertised/posted charging stations. Hobcobble! Let's face it, petrol/gas stations are all advertised and posted because guess what, that's what makes them money. I can drive anywhere in the UK and Europe, and the US for that matter (lived there for 15 years in OH, TX, AL, FL, CA, and MA so I think I know the States pretty well) and know that if I am getting low on fuel it won't be long before I pass a service area on the road I am driving on so I don't stress or worry.

We plan trips and holidays around the destinations we are going to and places we want to visit as others have alluded to. Who wants to look at maps of charging stations and try to figure out a route? What if you just want to drive the Pacific Coast Highway in CA and enjoy the views, or the NC 500 in Scotland which is extremely rural. How do you plan this around charging stations? They've had years to build the infrastructure, and it's not there to support mass use of EV's plain and simple.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. That's my final comment on this because it's grown arms and legs and quite pointless to discuss further at this point.